The death toll from Cyclone Jizani in Madagascar has risen to 59
The death toll from Cyclone Gizani, which recently struck Madagascar, has risen to 59, with 15 people still missing, according to the latest official figures released by local authorities on Monday. This natural disaster compounds the suffering of the Indian Ocean island nation, which is already facing a severe cyclone season this year.
Details of the disaster in Toamasina
The cyclone struck Toamasina, a city in the northeast of the country, with record-breaking winds of 250 kilometers per hour, bringing life to a standstill in the city of nearly 400,000 people. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council confirmed that most of the casualties occurred in this coastal city, where the powerful winds and flooding caused buildings to collapse and roads to be washed away.
The damage was not limited to human losses; it extended to widespread destruction of infrastructure and private property. Updated statistics indicate that more than 800 people sustained injuries of varying severity, and approximately 16,000 citizens were forcibly displaced after the disaster destroyed their homes. Authorities recorded the complete destruction of 25,000 dwellings, while another 27,000 homes were flooded, exacerbating the humanitarian and housing crisis in the region.
Humanitarian situation and international aid
Images from the field revealed the scale of the disaster, showing muddy water flooding commercial streets in Toamasina and primary schools being used as shelters and aid distribution centers. The World Food Programme warned of a deteriorating living situation for residents, noting that the electricity grid was up to 95% damaged, plunging the city into darkness, while the supply of potable water was almost completely cut off, increasing the risk of disease outbreaks.
As part of the international response, countries rushed to provide assistance to Madagascar. China provided urgent financial aid of 100 million yuan, while France sent relief teams, food supplies, and civil protection personnel from the neighboring island of Réunion, which is about 1,000 kilometers from the disaster-stricken areas.
climatic and regional context
Madagascar, due to its geographical location, is constantly exposed to tropical cyclone seasons, but the frequency and intensity of these storms have increased in recent years. Cyclone Gizani comes shortly after Tropical Cyclone Phetia struck the northwest of the country, leaving seven dead and displacing thousands, placing immense pressure on the country's limited capacity to respond to successive disasters.
The cyclone's path did not stop at the Malagasy border, but continued through the Mozambique Channel to hit the Mozambican coast, leaving behind four dead and destruction in the southern city of Inhambane, confirming the regional nature of these disasters that require extensive international cooperation to address the repercussions of climate change in the Indian Ocean region.
